MDNews - South Central Pennsylvania

ROBOTIC PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION ˜PCI™, AVAIL ABLE AT WELLSPAN YORK HOSPITAL, MARKEDLY REDUCES R ADIATION E XPOSURE AND PHYSICAL STR AIN FOR PHYSICIANS, WHILE PROMISING IMPROVED OUTCOMES BY ENHANCING TECHNIQUES WITH THE POSSIBILIT Y OF REMOTE PROCEDURES IN THE FUTURE. Improving Patient Outcomes, Fostering Safety for Patients and Providers WELLSPAN HAS A long history of provid- ing advanced specialty care for complex medical conditions. Since PCI's inception more than three decades ago, the health system has provided the procedure to patient s t h roug hout t he reg ion a nd beyond, notes William Nicholson, MD, Director of Interventional Cardiolog y. PCI has undergone tremendous advance- ments over the years, with the advent of dr ug-eluting stents a nd improved equipment and techniques. "The complexity and possibilities have g rown tremendously," Dr. Nicholson says. " W hat ca n be done for patients with catheters and stents is now virtu- ally limitless." I n t e s t a m e nt t o t h a t e v o lu t i on , WellSpan York Hospita l cardiologists perform 1,350 PCIs every year — many now via state-of-the-art robotic technol- ogy. Similar to other robotic procedures, robotic PCI a llows the interventiona l cardiologist to perform the procedure while seated at a console instead of stand- ing at the patient's side. This enables the cardiologist to robotically guide wires, catheters a nd stents in a control led fashion from the console cockpit. WellSpan's interventional cardiolo- gists collaborate with the manufacturer, Corindus Vascular Robotics, to refine the device and its use. As such, WellSpan's physicia ns a re not on ly per forming, but a lso creating a nd per fecting the cardiology procedures of the future. All WellSpan York Hospital interventional cardiologists perform robotic PCI, and WellSpan was the first Pennsylvania system to o•er this approach. "We have been on the forefront of the robotic experience for severa l years," Dr. Nicholson says. "We adopted the first- generation robotic system over three years ago. Now, we have the new system. It has enhanced control and guidance, improved e¢ciency, and a more user- friendly interface." "The robot can perform highly con- trolled maneuvers and has the ability to replicate cer ta in movements a nd techniques of a particular physician," Dr. Nicholson says. The current wire manipulations being done with the robot by physicians at WellSpan York Hospital may one day be mimicked by the robot to enhance the skills and techniques of other William Nicholson, MD, Director of Interventional Cardiology at WellSpan, prepares to begin a robotic PCI procedure while seated at the console, without the need to wear a heavy lead-protective garment. Robotic PCI at WellSpan York Hospital: 0 4 0 4❱❱❱❱❱ C O V E R F E A T U R E

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